"This is what MGS 3 should have been the first time."

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was and still is a great game. But it had its flaws. First of which is the long cut-scenes. The scenes can take up to a quarter of an hour and can not be skipped during the first trip through the game. This is a pain for those who enjoy game-play more than a story. Another flaw are the camera angles. Although it gives you a good sense of direction, you can not see far ahead of you unless you are in the first person. Both of these flaws are addressed in this re-release. In fact, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence has more

Graphics:The graphics ae great. Snake and his crew are wonderfully rendered and the animation is first-rate. The night-vision and the infra-red goggles do a nice job of assisting Snake through dark caves. The camouflage Snake and his enemies wear are effective when it comes to the challenge factor. The new rotating camera also helps. Finally, I can see my enemies in front of me without the third-person. Overall, the graphics aer just fine.

Control:The control also is top-notch. The menu control set-up is a little weird though. I am not used to using the circle button to confirm menu selections. Nevertheless, the in-game controls are excellent, even improved courtesy of the new camera control. The first-person view allows greater accuracy for aiming. The CQC controls are intuitive.

The control does have flaws. however. The firing button is one of them. You have to hold the button ans release in order to fire a shot. I found this rather difficult to fire a weapon. Another flaw has to do with the sniper and rocket launcher. You can not move while you are armed with these weapons. This is annoying in boss battles.

These are rather minor gripes, though. In the end, the controls are great, but some things could have been altered.

Game Design:The Metal Gear series is and usually was based on stealth. Metal Gear Solid 3 is no exception. The stealth element is fitting to this game. However, there is far much more to this game. There is a new bar underneath the health bar. That is known as the stamina bar. Your stamina depletes as you progress in your adventure. Low stamina will result in difficult healing, vulnerability to disease, and less accurate aiming. You will have to kill and eat snakes (this is not why the game was named "Snake Eater"), frogs, and gators. Food and sleep will refill your stamina.

Another new feature to the series is healing. Snake can suffer deep cuts, severe burns, broken bones, and leeches. You will have to use sutures, splints, bandages, and even your cigar to heal your wounds. These wounds must be treated or you will not fully heal and your stamina will be affected.

Snake's arsenal is varied with tranquillizers, silenced weapons, snipers, and even rocket launchers. He is also equipped with a fake-death pill and a revival pill. Snake can also utilize sonars, motion sensors, anti-personnel sensors, and night-vision and infra-red goggles.

The most-striking new features are the third-person camera view and the ability to skip cut-scenes during your first trip through the game. These were the two biggest flaws in the original release and the developers addressed the flaws nicely. There is also an on-line combat feature, but I never played it so I can not critique it.

Audio:The sound effects are fitting and well-done. In fact, arm yourself with the microphone gun and listen to the sounds of the forest. The music is great, but I just wish there was more of it.

The voice acting is the main driving force behind the audio and it is near perfect. The actors did a damn good job with the voices and that is essential for a game that is driven by story.

Story:This game takes place in 1964, during the Cold War. American and Soviet relations begin to crumble after Kennedy's assassination and concerning weapons development occurs in the now-defunct U.S.S.R.

The story is structured in the form of a James Bond film. Snake goes on a virtuous mission, then the theme music plays, and the main mission starts. Snake has to destroy the weapon and take down the Cobra Unit (that is why the game is named Snake Eater).

This game concentrates a little more on story than actual game-play. It is not recommended for those who hate excessive story-lines in games.